On a beautiful clear day as the sun shines from above, a fascinating and ironic symbol rests on Berlin’s TV Tower. Completed in 1969, during the Cold War in East Berlin, the tower was erected to celebrate the dominance and superiority of Communism. Prior to this construction the government called for the removal of all crosses from East Berlin’s churches, with the goal of suppressing Christianity from their society. Unfortunately for the communist government, they ended up building an even larger, dominating, celebratory symbol of Christianity. Dubbed “The Pope’s Revenge”, the sphere of stainless steel shines over the city as an enormous…cross.
I’m just a comment, I’m here to persuade, but strife and division is all that I’ve made. I’m typed with emotion to change one’s mind, but only angry responses is what I find. I aim to belittle, and make one feel like dirt. Take heed everyone, I’m an expert! My general purpose is directing the blame, or garnering likes and shares for short-term fame. I’m asked about my sources and given a fact check, I make it crystal clear who I wanted to elect. If agreed with I’m soft, and rosy like a flower. Have a different opinion? With contempt I’ll devour! I redirect time and energy that could be spent with your kin, because this meaningless argument I need to win! With every one of me made I further the divide, my section is a platform where opposing views collide. Now that I think about it, I’ve accomplished zero, I was just trying to be an internet hero. Where are those close to my heart that I hold near and dear? Has all my pointless nonsense made them disappear? For too long my focus has been in the wrong place…there’s millions of me now, what a disgrace. It’s time to make a change, and do what’s right. Let’s stop this constant need to engage in a fight. I guess social media is a horrible place in which to vent…at least that’s what I read from this one comment.
In October, 1929, the NYSE crashed and so began the Great Depression. Naturally, emotions ran high throughout the United States as people needed work to provide for their families. On March 6, 1930 (Unemployment Day), citizens hit the streets in New York where a crowd of 75,000 gathered in Union Square. Grover Whalen, New York’s commissioner of Police met the mass of people as a show of force, and unfortunately the authorities took it too far as people were trampled by horses. Additional shows of force were executed by commissioner Whalen and none more prominent than the 25,000 strong Communist demonstration on May Day. It was soon alleged by Whalen that the Communist strikes and riots where being executed at the behest of Moscow through American spy networks. The NYPD finally presented six letters, typed in Russian, that explained how Moscow was attempting to exploit the economic crisis in America through strikes and riots. In Moscow, after receiving word of these findings, the response came that Whalen had manufactured fraudulent documents (Hey, this scenario sounds familiar).
As the history goes, they found the individual (A Russian immigrant) who said he had printed these documents in America. He recounted to a jury that a man walked in asking for typed Russian documents for a large order, received the sample proofs, gave them his blessings, and then he never saw the man again. These were the very documents that somehow made their way into the hands of Commissioner Whalen, and also into the newspapers. The Russians understood that America was so anti-Communist that they would jump on anything that was found to be a pro-Communist agenda. Whalen made sure this was front-page news as it also provided him a valid reason to react with the amount of police force that was used. This is called the overreaction. Making something news because it suits our beliefs, even though we do not know all the facts. Our society today does this with such ease as we follow the pendulum of horribly reported news. When tensions and emotions are high we tend to look for something or someone else to blame, remove any responsibility, and overreact so that all the energy is elsewhere away from us. During the Great Depression emotions were extremely high, and Russia has consistently used these difficult times to strike our democracy. Even the appearance of the riots being staged by Soviets undermined our democracy and created division. Imagine a world where something like this happens, the disinformation flows seamlessly through social media, national news outlets, and in comments – now add in the agenda of certain outlets and our group think perspective, you’ve got a population that either believes everything that is said or nothing at all. Once the division is created, it is easy to simply “egg on” each side with false information about the other.
As it turns out, the man claiming to take responsibility for the forged documents said that Moscow’s idea in the scheme was to make the public believe that all documents are forged. This would make the public question everything that came from the government, along with driving a wedge in an already emotionally drained, desperate, and divided people. There’s no way something like this could happen to the great nation of America 90 years later! Look at how ridiculous it is that throughout Covid we have had such hostile reactions from both sides. Something as simple as wearing a mask became politicized. It is extremely embarrassing and there is no place to point the finger besides oneself. We need to get better, and the only way to get better is by doing it yourself. There is no mortal human that can change your attitude, behavior, and actions besides yourself. If we can focus on bettering ourselves instead of pointing out everybody else’s flaws, we’d be much better off. Contain the emotions, do not overreact, sit down with nice cup of coffee and think a little. As any person driving on slippery roads may know, if you start sliding in one direction toward the ditch, you can correct the slide by staying calm and counter-steering. But, if you lose your poise and counter too much, you’ll over do it and go into the ditch on the other side of the road. I fear we are doing this today and not learning from history. Let’s change that.
Welcome to the new year where not much has changed thus far but we must continue to educate each other. By educating one another it is assumed that one side is actually listening to the other and vice versa. It is also assumed that you know what you’re talking about…otherwise it’s not educating each other: That is called gossip, scoffing, and it is the opposite of helpful. Also, do not be afraid to crack open a book (or 2, or 100) and spend some time learning before claiming to be an expert on everything in the world because you saw meme on Facebook (my digression is real and I am aware of it). However, the subject of this post is China (the CCP, not the private citizens). China has been siphoning (some call it stealing) technology off the United States for many years. They, like Russia, have also taken advantage of U.S. democracy and citizens in order to further their progress in becoming “the” world power. The Chinese company Tencent has taken large stakes of ownership in U.S. space start-ups Moon Express, Planetary Resources, NonaRacks, and World View Enterprises. This allows them to claim rights to technology that is developed through these U.S. organizations. As the owner of two of the largest social media apps, WeChat and QQ, Tencent acts as an extension of the Chinese government by censoring, monitoring, and reporting communications.
In addition to owning stakes in these companies, China utilizes the United States people and government to fund their own companies. A whopping seven-hundred Chinese companies are traded in the U.S. debt and equity markets. The majority of these companies are state-owned and controlled by the Chinese government. Consequently, the next generation of Chinese military capabilities, space technology, aircraft, etc. will be largely funded and developed through United States citizens. We are openly assisting China in their ascent. While our bureaucracy bangs its’ head against the wall and continues to believe that our diplomacy is the answer, China (and Russia) continues on moving to the next thing. To use a sports analogy, we’re behind in the game and they’re still getting first downs on us. Finally, to those that are screaming about climate change, it must be noted that China is the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the world. China is also the world’s largest coal user, and in 2019 it had 121 gigawatts of coal plants under construction (which is more than the rest of the world combined). Somebody should send a 12 year old girl over there to lecture Xi Jinping. Not only do they pollute the world more than any other country, but they also outsource their pollution (in addition to their outsourced funding and tech stealing). They have over 260 coal-fired power plants across Asia and Africa and a Chinese plant in Kenya is the largest source of pollution in that country. Again, while we battle each other within the government, use race as leverage, scroll Facebook, create memes, read the comments, steal podiums (and somehow have time for a candid shot whilst stealing it), we just put ourselves further in a hole. As discussed in an earlier post we are not doing ourselves any favors. It is quite the understatement to say that it is embarrassing to see the things grown adults are doing and saying right now. Let’s get better people. God bless!
In the Cold War days (and still today) US intelligence communicated with Russian agents through a variety of means. First of all, an agent is an asset and not a CIA employee. In Russia, an example of an agent was a defected KGB officer who was providing information to US intelligence. As it was imperative that the agent’s identity was kept secret, the CIA was forced to be extremely creative in delivering instructions. One such conduit was the One-Time Pad (OTP). An agent would use this column of numbers (only once as the name suggests) to match against a delivered batch of numbers and decipher a message. A way that this could work is if the agent would listen in to a certain frequency on a radio, during a certain time frame, and receive a batch of numbers. For example: He would listen for a sequence of numbers on his regularly tuned in radio station between 6:30AM – 6:40AM (during his ritualistic morning coffee). He would listen at the same time every day in order to maintain a cover and shield any reason for suspicion. When the day arrived that a span of numbers were conveyed he would write them down and match them with his OTP. Once deciphered the numbers would be changed to letters, ultimately revealing a message. Although there is a little bit more that goes into the OTP, this gives one an idea of how it works. Let’s try one!
This could have been made more interesting by utilizing numbers from a stat line on ESPN or possibly in the source code of a web page, but I want to make this as easy as possible. The way the OTP works is you receive a certain amount of numbers, and then match them above your numbers from the OTP. The batch of numbers is then separated in groups of five like this: 18411 87222. The OTP numbers (on bottom) will be subtracted from the received numbers (on top). This will be done by subtracting each individual number using a “non carrying” method of subtraction. A non-carrying method example is 1 over 9 which turns into 11 – 9 = 2. ( 2 over 3 turns into 12 – 3 = 9). As all the numbers are deciphered, you then would separate the numbers in groups of two in order to find the corresponding letter (03 = C, 22 = V, 01 = A, 13 = M, etc.) From here you put together the message, memorize it, and destroy it like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. So, I have included a short message underneath this paragraph with the numbers already received and placed above the OTP numbers. In order to read the message, write the sequences down on paper, subtract each individual bottom number from the individual number above, and then convert those results into letters. Refer to the below image if help is needed in working through the OTP message. Good luck! (Hint: the first letter is “C” = 03)
18411 87222 92560 99621 15369 67328 83350 68512
This is a blurry image of a deciphered message from Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs, From Communism to Al-Qaeda
It was 2015, Christmastime in Ukraine, and the lights shut off. Russia had hacked into their electrical grid and turned the power off. Luckily for Ukraine, the lights only stayed out for a few hours as their systems still utilized the antiquated “giant switch” in which they could reset the grid. It would take months to repair the damaged computer systems and even longer to restore any semblance of security. In the United States, many in the government were more than startled by this cyber intrusion. The U.S. does not have the reset luxury as we have “switched” almost everything to be run by computers. In fact, similar devious software has been found to be implanted in American power plants, industrial systems, and other communication networks. Russian actors have even placed bugged USB drives strategically where government officials have “found them”, plugged them into their computers, and planted a bug without the use of internet. This is in addition to the disinformation campaigns that has been previously discussed in “Russian Experiment” and “Did You Know.” We are vulnerable in this regard which means we must educate ourselves. As former National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster stated, “Citizens should not wait for political leaders or the media to counter cyber-enabled information warfare.” Until we take the time to have the preventative maintenance, (education and implementation) we better load up on candles and matches just in case (Tis’ the season of lights after all). The good news is, we are getting better and there are individuals that are trying to inform the populace. The bad news is, we are very naive and easily distracted. It wouldn’t hurt us if we could change the latter and learn to seek knowledge and understanding. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. One cannot think of Christ without remembering his sacrifice of death on the cross for our sins. If we are unable to even sacrifice a little bit of our distraction time for knowledge, then we might be in bigger trouble than we think. Somebody once said that the greatest source of national strength is an educated people. If this is to be true, we better get poppin’! Merry Christmas!
Late Christmas present ideas: “Battlegrounds by H.R. McMaster; “The Perfect Weapon” by David E. Sanger; and “The Shadow War” by Jim Sciutto
This is essentially a continuation from the previous post on the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Before the election and Coronavirus there was still an ongoing issue in the Middle East (you may have read about it in the papers). As the Trump Administration pulled out of Syria we heard about the “Kurds” on the news and then it seemed as if everybody was an expert on the area (common theme across most politicized issues today). As I have studied the happenings in Syria and the Middle East over the past five years or so, I realized how deeply convoluted the situation is. In that light, I decided to complete a superficial overview of the many hands on Syria. Warning: Be prepared to be slightly confused (and the previous use of the word superficial was not used sarcastically).
Let’s begin with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This is a group that was backed by the U.S. and is made up of a secular, multi-ethnic force that fights against ISIS (known as Daesh in Arabic: al-dawla al-islammiya fi Iraq wa al-sham = The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). There were also 100-150 U.S. soldiers embedded and assisting the SDF. The SDF consists mostly of Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, and Assyrians. The SDF is led by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. If it seems weird that the U.S. is assisting a listed terrorist organization then please read slowly as I explain this cluster. The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) was established as the Syrian branch of the PKK, the PYD created the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in 2011 to serve as the militia arm of this party, and the YPG is the military lead for the SDF (following all these acronyms?). By adding the collections of groups under one umbrella (SDF) they were able to legitimize the group and its movement into non-Kurdish areas as well as receive assistance from the U.S. So, change the name and now the group can claim to be working on behalf of all Syrians.
Kurdistan Workers’ Party -> Kurdish Democratic Union Party -> Peoples Protection Units -> Syrian Democratic Forces
Turkey has been in battle with the PKK for years and has invaded into Syria at least four times since 2016. As Turkey sees it – they fight the PKK, who is affiliated with the PYD, who is in charge of the SDF, who is backed by the U.S. Yet, supposedly ISIS was the main and common threat to all. It’s easy to see already how these groups could strike each other and claim that ISIS was the culprit. Turkey was bombing PKK positions in its supposed fight with ISIS, which led to retaliation from the PKK. This is how a broken state creates opportunities for terrorists and governments alike who are seeking to take advantage and gain influence in the area.
Next, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) is a group that is made up of defected soldiers of the Assad regime (Bashar al-Assad’s regime that is backed by Russia and Iran). Katibas (regional FSA groups) started sprouting up to defend their local areas as rebel militias. More than 1,000 of these groups were fighting in Syria which made for easy infiltration on behalf of terrorists. In 2012, Jabhat al-Nusra li-ahli-as-sham (Nusra) formed and was led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. Al-Jolani was previously in Iraq’s Camp Bucca prison for fighting with the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI), which was an off-shoot of Al-Qaeda of Iraq (AQI). Nusra was funded by Al-Qaeda and ISIS donors, and many in Syria thought that this was just another militia as they attacked the regime as well. ISIS and its’ then “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi claimed that Nusra was formed at his behest, but Jolani pledged his allegiance (bayet) to Zawahiri and Al-Qaeda. Most rebels fought alongside Nusra during the war as this confusion was clearly evident and many of the militias became corrupted by them.
The Kurdish National Council (KNC) was divided against the PYD and PKK as they were committed to non-violence. An Erbil Agreement was made in 2012 between the PYD and the KNC which was brokered by the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The PYD took over establishing its own checkpoints, local councils, distributing food/fuel, and often refusing entry to KNC. Distributing food and fuel seems like a wonderful thing but it is done with the goal of controlling influence over the people as their protectors (ISIS and Al-Qaeda utilize this system as well). Now, the FSA and the YPG were soon fighting against each other as the FSA claimed that the YPG was working with Assad (historical ties go back between Assad and the PKK). In addition to this, the YPG was clashing with Nusra as they concealed themselves in among the FSA.
In 2015, more than 30,000 people from more than 70 different countries were fighting for rebels (FSA regional militias). These militias began to change their identities based on the wishes of donors. An example of this was a changing to Islamic dress to entice support from rich Gulf charities. Iran also got itself in the mix as it desperately wanted influence within this area that is closer to Israel (Iran’s “little Satan” – you may guess who Iran’s “big Satan” is). The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and mainly Hezbollah (Iran’s proxy – Lebanon’s Party of God Terrorist group) was fighting with Assad’s regime in Syria to secure Iran’s interests. Iran’s Suleimani helped create the National Defense Force (NDF) and by 2014 it essentially became a branch of the regime’s military. Additionally, the IRGC Quds force recruited Hazaras (Afghan mix of tribal group and Mongolians forced out or killed by the Taliban) who were Shia and living in Iran as refugees. Many more militias formed an Islamist Salafist Jaysh al-Islam (Islamic Army). (Salafist ideology is that of ISIS and al-Qaeda). It is understandable if this actually makes things less clear because the situation was and is extremely complex. We could discuss how the U.S. withdrawal of Iraq led to the rise of ISIS, helped increase Iran’s control of Iraq, and paved the road for other mediators like Russia to appear as facilitators of peace instead of us, but that would be a whole book worth of information. The key point is that individuals in the media are oftentimes not experts, never touch on these complexities, but instead politicize everything that is happening at home and abroad. To truly understand, one must have a deep knowledge of history, a desire to comprehend the complexities, and the realization that a meme will not give you the information you need. We should all strive to educate ourselves in a positive way so that when we see a “new Syria” happening, we have the benefit of knowledge on our side, and we can move forward with some prudence.
The following was written in April, 2017. Although it was never published here, and is outdated by a few years, it contains relevant information and statistics regarding the refugee crisis in Syria.
Since 2011 the nation of Syria has been in a very violent and tragic state. The Syrian people have found it extremely difficult to maintain employment, provide for their families, and to be safe amongst all of the conflict of the civil war. Although the situation in Syria is deeply complex, the intent of this article is to give a superficial insight into those individuals who have been displaced since the conflict began. These displaced individuals, widely referred to as refugees, have endured a great deal within the past years. The stance of this article is not an opinion or personal view, but one that simply explains the refugee crisis that was created. The information within this document is relied heavily upon reported knowledge, statistics, and inferences from multiple sources. It is important to understand the origins of the current state, as well as the impact that it is having on millions of lives.
The affect that the conflict in Syria is having on its people is tremendous, but what started it? In March of 2011, peaceful protests were being held in the streets of Damascus and Aleppo. These protests were met with violence from the government which caused many groups to fight back against the regime. Defectors from the army along with many civilians took up arms as the opposition. Other countries and religious groups such as Russia, Iran, ISIS, and now the United States have complicated the situation even more. While the politics and circumstances continually evolve, the focus here is on the refugees themselves.
The refugee crisis is becoming too much to bear for Syria and many other countries involved. In fact, it is estimated that every 15 seconds, a Syrian becomes a refugee. An average of 6,000 families is forced to leave their homes each day due to fighting. This ongoing fighting has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, and obliterated the infrastructure and economic markets. Over 6.3 million people are displaced within Syria and 13.5 million need emergency assistance. Roughly 4.9 million Syrians live in areas that are difficult or impossible for aid workers to access. Sexual violence against women, child labor, along with physical and mental trauma is worsening. The attacks have left some 1.7 million children to leave school, setting them back in education and with their lives. It is not safe for civilians to be out of their homes as civilian infrastructure has been targeted including areas of employment, means of travel, and hospitals. This has caused a large amount of refugees to seek new lives in places such as Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Europe, and in the United States.
In addition to the 6.3 million displaced individuals within Syria, there are five million Syrian refugees in other countries. This means that half of the Syrian population is displaced from their homes and that number is increasing daily. It is estimated that 95% of people lack adequate healthcare, 70% lack regular access to clean water, and 80% of them live in poverty. Organizations that help deliver aid have been caught in cross-fire, killed, or badly injured. The refugees leaving the conflict at home are then finding more conflict in Iraq, creating cultural tensions in Turkey, and are oftentimes finding it more difficult to live in other countries outside of Syria. Language barriers, ability to find legal work, religious beliefs (different sects), and cultural differences are a few of the issues that are faced when leaving their home country. Refugees in crowded areas/camps experience water shortages, food shortages, and lack medical supplies to meet the concerns of diseases. The refugee camp named Za’atan in Jordan has approximately 80,000 Syrian refugees. These individuals feel trapped and crowded which forces them to leave to other areas and countries. Families sometimes walk for miles throughout the night in order to avoid being shot by snipers or being caught by groups that will kidnap young men to fight for their cause (ISIS). To add perspective to the problem of overcrowding: one in four people in Lebanon are Syrian refugees and one in ten people in Jordan are refugees from Syria.
The harsh conditions in neighboring countries only increases while more and more refugees flee. Most refugees have to find a way to pay rent but do not have a legal way to work in Jordan and Lebanon. They struggle to find odd jobs and accept low wages that usually cannot cover their basic needs. Many children try to find employment as well in hopes that they can contribute to the support of their families. This has further forced the refugees to seek a better life in Europe. Included in this decision is the dangerous travel by boat across the Mediterranean Sea from Turkey to Greece. During this process many refugees do not make it and the others are met with opposition in their new countries. The refugee crisis in Syria has claimed many lives. As of March of 2017, it is estimated that 470,000 Syrian people have died. The horrendous civil war has created a life that is very horrifying to the civilians of Syria and it appears as if the situation is only intensifying. To say that these individuals need help is a huge understatement and it will take much time and resources to reverse the current state. The current climate is also ripe for the picking as many hands will be involved to gain power, strategic ground, and influence during the rebuilding of a broken nation.
Statistics used for this post were found via Mercey Corps in April, 2017.
Nestled wonderfully in a lush Iowa cornfield sits a new automated John Deere tractor. These newer versions come equipped with satellite or wi-fi links that allow the driver quite a bit of freedom. The traditional hard work of farming has been given quite an upgrade as these tractors are able to automate the driving, fertilizing, and plowing. As outlined in his book, “The Fifth Domain” former chief of counter-terrorism on the National Security Council, Richard Clarke, details how they also sync up with John Deere headquarters. Now, the data can be received informing the company when a malfunction or breakdown is looming, and John Deere can then send somebody out to get ahead of the issues before they happen. Unfortunately, the tractors experienced numerous small issues in which John Deere had to respond and diagnose via a mobile repair team. The cost of such visits was billed to the farmer while they had their expensive, shiny tractor sitting in the middle of the field as they waited for John Deere and their digital keys. As this became extremely annoying and budget consuming, farmers began to search for a new means of bypassing the software and fixing their own tractors. Word got around that a Russian-speaking individual based in Ukraine was able to hack into the system in order to get around the factory system. The farmers were able to pay a small fee, download a software tool from their Russian interlocutor, hack into their own tractors, and fix the issue themselves. Problem solved…
As detailed in my previous post, we have already seen an experiment initiated through probing Americans and exploiting vulnerabilities. As we analyze the possibilities one can imagine that allowing Russians access to our autonomous systems is not a good thing. Can these hacks eventually start up the tractor and drive it through a farmer’s house? How would the farmer respond to this? By going after John Deere of course, and thus creating a bit of chaos within the heartland of America. Also, if they have the ability to hack autonomous tractors, we can probably assume that they can hack autonomous cars on our highways creating a host of devastating problems. It would also be conceivable that they can hack into the synced phone devices within that vehicle garnering access to synced credit cards, contacts, messages, emails, and anything else that is available through our smart phones. I believe we are far beyond the point of claiming ignorance and we all need to educate ourselves when implementing cyber security measures. If an increase in such cyber attacks take place, we can be assured that the people will respond by attacking both the company and the government, instead of the actual perpetrator. This naturally foments distrust among the population and only intensifies our issues at home while hackers continue to do their work. We all have a responsibility today as the times have and are changing rapidly. And maybe, the newer technology that allows for more relax time is not the best choice after all.
One fine day in 2015 a large group of New Yorkers gathered near Time Square to attend a free hot-dog event. The excitement of the event vanished as the people soon realized that they would not be receiving free hot-dogs after all. But why did all these people show up at the same time with the idea that a free hot-dog was coming their way? Little did they know that the Facebook accounts which directed them to this location to receive free hot-dogs was orchestrated thousands of miles away in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This new experiment turned out to be a test in which Russians were attempting to organize a live event in the United States. It worked.
Later, in 2016, the trolls created a “Heart of Texas” group that was supposedly based in Houston. This online group organized a rally to stop the “Islamization of Texas.” The Russians then created a counter-rally at the same time through a made up group named “United Muslims of America.” The idea behind this was obvious in pitting two groups against each other in America. The Russian IRA (Internet Research Agency) has reached 126 million people on Facebook, has posted 10.4 million tweets on Twitter, uploaded more than 1,000 videos on Youtube, and has connected with more than 20 million users on Instagram. One of the IRA’s main efforts is to foment racial division in the United States. It creates content for black audiences while simultaneously amplifying white militia content. Toward the end of 2015 the IRA began producing videos. Ultimately, they produced 1,063 videos across 10 different channels related to Black Lives Matter and police brutality.
Short Analysis: Russia uses our open democracy/current climate to spread disinformation in order to divide and undermine our society. So far we have been taking the bait and doing the bulk of the work for them. Everybody from politicians, to journalists, to celebrities, and private citizens need to do their part in combating their efforts. Sharing any divisive material on social media is irresponsible and doing so without research and verification of facts is even worse. This pulls you and like-minded individuals further on your beliefs side while pushing those with contrasting beliefs even further to their side. As far as disinformation goes we cannot simply count everything as false just as we cannot count everything as true. We need to find a line between paranoia and gullibility. Those extremes are what Russian trolls feed off of and where they find the best opportunities to create chaos. There is a lot of “noise” online today but do not give up on the facts. Control the emotions, verify information, and be mindful that the way we act online is being manipulated. Be diligent, intelligent, and responsible.
Wilks Wroasting 